US-China conflict could cause unimaginable consequences, China says
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China calls for openness and respect for peace between both Beijing and Washington, noting that external conflicts should not impede bilateral relations.
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The American and Chinese flags wave at Genting Snow Park ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics, in Zhangjiakou, China, on February 2, 2022. (AP)
Any conflict between Beijing and Washington could lead to "unimaginable consequences" for the entire world, Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng said at an event at the Chinese Embassy, noting that the current crisis in Ukraine was unrelated to and should not affect the relationship between China and the United States.
On the 97th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, Thursday, Feng said, "The Ukraine crisis is not and should not be an issue in China and the United States, and an early ceasefire serves the interests of all states."
Considering the difficulty in developing bilateral relations between China and the US, the ambassador suggested that both nations must "value peace" and avoid confrontation and conflict.
"The China-US relationship is too big to fail. Any conflict or confrontation would cause unimaginable consequences for both countries and the entire world," he affirmed.
According to the ambassador, China prioritizes openness and cooperation, focusing on global development and prosperity, and hopes that the US would contribute to this effort, to stabilize and enhance bilateral relations based on principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and willing cooperation. This should be done with a sense of responsibility towards both nations, their people, and the world, he underlined.
'Negative factors' growing in US-China relations despite stability
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken headed in April to China on a diplomatic visit to discuss several key topics such as enhancing bilateral relations, as well as regional and global matters that the US perceives as concerning, and further discuss issues pertaining to responsibly managing competition to avert a possible miscalculation or conflict.
During the opening session between both officials, Wang Yi affirmed that the current diplomatic relationship between China and the US was stable, but still encompassed growing "negative factors".
"China's legitimate development rights have been unreasonably suppressed and our core interests are facing challenges," he explained.
In response, Blinken stated that the way forward with Presidents Biden and Xi Jinping's agenda was through "active diplomacy", which allows the US to recognize its differences with China to reportedly avoid miscalculations.
